Last night I met Annie & Jerry at the wonderful Moro, one of my favourite restaurants (click here for review). I love the informality of the restaurant – almost like a gastro pub – but also the excellence of the food with its Spanish, North African influences. It’s never failed to delight me and last night was no exception. I’d no intention of blogging – having done that before – but still took photos of my own meal to Tweet later … and because, really, I can never resist photographing lovely food. I had some gorgeous Home Cured Salmon with Arak, Labneh & Roasted Beetroot to begin; Wood Roasted Pork with Braised Chestnuts, Oyster Mushrooms and red Rioja as a main; and their signature Yoghurt Cake with Pistachios & Pomegranate for dessert.

We drank delicious sherries and Portuguese red wine with our food, expertly recommended to us by our knowledgeable waitress. Finished with fresh mint tea for Annie and me, and espresso for Jerry. Talked of how we’d loved the evening and everything about Moro. Then we went home. It was on the 341 bus to Waterloo station that I realised I’d left my black pashmina behind.

Fortuitously I was due to go into central London again this morning. I rang Moro and yes, they had my pashmina. Thus, after a meeting in Covent Garden, I caught the 341 bus from Aldwych and headed back to Moro. My scarf safely packed into a bag, I came out and realised it was definitely lunchtime – almost 1.00pm – and I was a long way from home. So, how could I resist popping into Moro’s little sister Morito –  their tapas bar next door?

A tapas bar is an ideal place for a light lunch. Luckily, it wasn’t too busy so I was able to get a place at the bar straight away. I asked for some tap water and a bottle came with glass. I chose just a couple of tapas: a slice of the wonderful tortilla that I could see placed on the counter in front of me and a bowl of Chestnut & Chorizo Soup, which Jerry had as a starter last night and – because he kindly let me have a taste – I’d found was amazing; just wonderful.

The tortilla was made with eggs, potatoes, Spanish onion, red peppers and flavoured with some smoked paprika, which gave it a nice but not overwhelming smoky taste.

It was a wonderfully comforting soup for a rather dull and slightly wet winter’s day: thick, mildly spicy and rich with the chestnuts and chorizo. The two dishes were perfect for my lunch but of course it would be great to share more plates of tapas with others another time. It was also a nice place to sit on my own, at the bar, with friendly staff who chatted a bit. It was very relaxing. In not too much of a hurry to move on back home, I ordered some fresh mint tea and sat for a little while reading a book on the Kindle app on my iPhone.

Then I paid the bill – £15 including service – and headed off back to Waterloo and home – this time making sure I had all my possessions! The visit to Morito had been entirely unplanned but a welcome surprise to my day.

(Click here to see my interview with Samuel Clark, one of the owners back in April 2012.)